A Royally Scary Halloween
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: Princess Sofia is preparing for a big Halloween ball at her castle! But what happens when the King of Halloween himself comes to Enchancia?
1. Chapter 1

**According to my Sofia the First Halloween crossover poll, this one was the lucky winner! Thank you for your votes and enjoy!**

* * *

Once upon a time, in the magical kingdom of Enchancia, one of the kingdom's most unusual events began on an early Autumn morning. It was that special time of year. A magical time when leaves fall, pumpkins grin, and all manners of ghosts and ghouls roam free.

Halloween had come to Enchancia.

In the kingdom's castle, a young girl woke up. She had short, wavy auburn hair and bright blue eyes. Her name was Princess Sofia. She used to be a village girl doing alright, then her mother married the king and just that, she became a princess overnight! It was a big change for her, but Sofia was getting the hang of it pretty well.

Sofia smiled as she got up and did a good stretch. She opened her window and took a deep breath of that fresh Autumn air. Sofia's animal friends arrived through the window. Two birds, Robin and Mia, flew into her closet and picked out a dress for her to wear. Clover the rabbit hopped in through the little rabbit hole in the wall.

"Morning, Princess." said Clover. "Up already?"

"Of course! I was so excited I could hardly sleep in!" Sofia said. "Tomorrow is Halloween night! I'm going to visit Jade and Ruby after school so we can plan our Halloween together! It's going to be great!"

Sofia rushed out of her room after getting dressed, accidentally bumping into Cedric, the kingdom's royal sorcerer.

"Oh, excuse me, Mr. Ceedric." Sofia apologized.

The sorcerer scowled unpleasantly. "It's Cedric." he corrected bitterly.

"Are you super excited for Halloween?!" Sofia chirped.

"Oh, overjoyed..." Cedric deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

"Great! Well, I better get going! Bye!"

After enjoying her breakfast, Sofia hopped into the carriage with her stepbrother Prince James and her stepsister Princess Amber. As they were on their way to school, Amber saw Sofia's excitement. "You seem excited, Sofia."

"I sure am!" Sofia chirped. "Halloween is coming!"

"Yeah! This year's All Hallows' Eve costume ball is gonna be fantastic!" James said. "I hear there's going to be a big announcement about it in class!"

"Really? What is it about?" asked Sofia.

"I don't know. It's probably a Halloween surprise!" James pointed out.

"Well, it's no surprise that I'll be the winner of the costume contest this year." Amber gloated.

"Right, cause you did so well last year." James said sarcastically, earning a scowl from his sister. Last year, everyone had to make their own costumes. So Amber had to cheat by using some of Cedrick's magic to make her a butterfly princess. Unfortunately, she was turned into a real butterfly! But thanks to Sofia, she was changed back.

The children arrived at Royal Prep, a prep school just for royalty, where they learn royal etiquette, arts and magic. The students gathered in their classroom. The headmistresses, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather materialized before the class.

"Attention, children." Flora announced."As you know, the All Hallows' Eve costume ball is tomorrow tonight."

The class perked up in excitement.

"But unfortunately, the ballroom is being re-painted and we have no place for the party." Fauna said sadly.

Merrywether dipped her head. "So the costume ball will have to be postponed this year."

Now the class was completely heartbroken. Amber took it the worst, she was so looking forward to winning the costume contest. She loves winning.

Seeing her classmates so depressed, Sofia had an idea. She politely raised her hand. "Excuse me, Miss Flora. Since we can't have the party here, why not have it at our castle instead?"

"That's a great idea, Sofia!" James said.

"Why, yes! It's a splendifirous idea!" Fauna replied.

"YAY!" the students cheered.

"Well, I guess it's unanimous, we'll have the costume ball at Enchantia Castle!" Flora declared.

"Great! We can decorate the castle to be super scary!" James added. "They'll be ghosts and spiders and bats and all sorts of cool stuff!"

The headmistresses appeared hesitant. "Yes, but not too scary, Prince James." Fauna warned. "We don't want to get carried away!"

"That's right, it's best not to over-do things." Flora added.

Merryweather shuddered. "Unlike that Pumpkin King, Ja-" Merryweather's mouth was quicky covered by Fauna's hand, cutting her off.

Flora shushed her. "Merryweather! We are not suppose to speak of him!" she whispered.

"Speak of who, Miss. Flora?" Sofia asked.

Flora chuckled nervously. "Oh, nothing, dear! Nothing at all!"

The students were quite curious and confused, so Flora changed the subject. "Uh, anyway! The ball shall be at Enchantia castle tomorrow night!"

After class, Sofia left the academy, looking deep in thought. James caught up to her. "Hey, Sofia. What's wrong?"

"Well, what do think the headmistresses were talking about back in class? A pumpkin king?" Sofia wondered.

James just shrugged. "Beats me, I didn't even think pumpkins had their own king!" he joked.

Sofia giggled, it was probably not a big deal. So once school was one, Sofia headed to the village of Dunwiddie to see her best friends.

Jade and Ruby were sitting outside Jade's home, trying to plan their Halloween.

"Jade! Ruby!" Sofia called out.

"Sofia!" her friends called back. They ran up to their royal friend and shared a group hug. "Happy Halloween, guys!"

"Happy Halloween, Sofia!" Ruby said. "We were just going over our Halloween plans!"

"Well, I think I can help with that." Sofia said. "How would you guys like to come to our All Hallows Eve Ball at the castle?"

The village girls gasped to each other before turning back to Sofia. "Can we?!"

"Sure! You guys are coming as my extra special guests!" said Sofia.

"Hooray! We're gonna to spend Halloween at the castle!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping up and down. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Something tells me this is going to be the best Halloween ever!" Sofia said.

* * *

In Cedric's workshop, his pet raven Wormwood was getting his feathers ruffled along with Cedric grumbling under all the excitement spreading about the Halloween ball.

He growled in his throat. "This ball is going to drive me batty! And to think I was going to spend a relaxing holiday so I can refresh and come up with an evil plot to steal the Amulet of Avalor from Princess Sofia!"

Cedric's door was knocked and King Roland and Queen Miranda came in.

"Oh, King Roland! Queen Miranda! Welcome!" Cedric said, putting on his nice guy act.

"Hello, Cedric. We were wondering if you can perform a magic show for the children at the Halloween Ball tomorrow." Roland requested.

"You want me, your royal sorcerer, to entertain the children?" Cedric said. He hardly wanted to waste his time doing magic tricks for children.

"Yes, Sofia is very excited about this! We were hoping you can conjure up some spooky good fun!" Miranda said.

Those words gave Cedric an idea. An awful, evil idea. He grinned and swept his arm back. "Why, yes! Of course, my queen! I'll make this a Halloween the children will never forget!"

"Thank you, Cedric." Roland thanked as he and Miranda left.

"Caw!" Wormwood squawked.

"Oh, on the contrary, Wormy. Thanks to the queen, I have the perfect plan! It's Halloween eve, is it not? The night where all things scary can happen! So, I'll use some magic to summon a monster that will scare the amulet off of Sofia and bring it to me!"

"Caw! Caw!" Wormwood cawed with evil glee and flapped his wings.

Cedric wringed his hands together. "Yes, not only is that a mean and diabolical plan, it's also a lazy one! And once the amulet is mine, so will the kingdom!"

The royal sorcerer went to his book of spells. "Now, let's see...what monstrosity will be scary enough to frighten a whole school of children and the royal family?" He skimmed through the pages until a certain spell caught his eye. "A-ha! With this spell, I will summon the greatest, scariest, most terrifying creature of them all!"


	2. Chapter 2

That night, as soon as Sofia and her family were all tucked in and fast asleep, Cedric took his spell book and wand. He poofed himself out of the castle and into the village pumpkin patch.

Cedric wickedly chuckled as he savored the delicious moment. "And now, to summon the king of Halloween himself." He levitated his open spell book. Cedric raised his wand and waved it clockwise.

The motion made the dark clouds in the sky swirl ominously over the field. The winds picked up speed, making Cedric's robe flow in the breeze for added effect. He recited the spell:

_"Hills of pumpkin and trees of fall,_

_I beckon you to heed my call!_

_To strike terror and fear like no ones ever seen,_

_I summon you, Jack Skellington; King of Halloween!"_

He struck his wand down and a bolt of green lightening struck from the clouds, striking smack dab in the middle of the pumpkin patch.

A few seconds later, nothing happened.

Cedric waited for something to happen, "Uh, hello?"

Nothing.

"WELL?!" Cedric shouted impatiently. "Jack Skellington?! Spirits?! Monsters?! Somebody?! HELLO?!"

But not a single spook was in sight.

"MERLIN'S MUSHROOMS!" Cedric roared. Angered and frustrated with his failure, the sorcerer stormed away.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams, was the holiday world of Halloween, usually called Halloween Town.

In this town, the creatures of the night were busy preparing to terrify the world come tomorrow night, their favorite night of all - Halloween!

And every ghoul and spook in the land of Halloween knew that Halloween would never be possible without the help of their leader, the king of Halloween, Jack Skellington.

In the center of the dark and gloomy town, a flock of ghosts did a well synchronized dance through the air, soaring and wailing their eerie moans in the sky.

They formed two single file lines at a monster-like fountain filled with green slimy water. The town's mayor, a short, stubby man with a very tall hat with a megaphone began to speak.

"And now, allow me to present the master of terror, the king of nightmares, Jack Skellington!"

On cue, the ghosts presented a tall, slender skeleton in a black suit with white pinstripes and a bat bow tie emerging from the green waters. He leaped out of the fountain and together with the ghosts, let out a great big,

**"BOOOOOO!"**

"Bravo, Jack! Bravo!" the mayor congratulated. "Those ghosts will be a big hit at this year's Halloween!"

Jack Skellington, however, was not so impressed. "Perhaps. It was spooky and chilling with just a touch of spine-tingling, but not scary." he said sadly. "Something's missing. There has to be something to make Halloween more...hideous, bone-chilling, more frightening! I need something new!"

"Jack." said a flute-like voice.

Jack turned his attention to a living ragdoll walking over to him. She had faded blue fabric for skin, with multiple sewing stitches all over her body and had long red hair. She wore a dress made of various multi-colored pieces of cloth. Her name was Sally Skellington, Jack's wife. She was holding a package wrapped in brown paper. "Here, I made a little something for you. I hope it will help."

"Wonderful!" The skeleton smiled warmly and kindly took the package. "I can always depend on you, Sally." His empty eye sockets gazed lovingly into Sally's wide eyes. The two lovers leaned closer to embrace a sweet kiss.

But just then, Jack disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

Sally drew back in alarm. Jack was gone right before her eyes.

The mayor's face switched to a sad face. "What the-?! Jack?! Where did he go?! Jack! This is no time for joking!"

"Jack?!" Sally exclaimed. "What just happened?!"


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, the royal family was having breakfast. But they had a hard time enjoying it as they were watching Sofia. She was lost in her thoughts. She just couldn't shake those words, 'Pumpkin King' out of her head.

"Sofia?" Miranda spoke.

"AH!" Sofia almost fell out of her chair. "Uh, yes?"

"Are you alright, sweetie?" asked the queen.

"Yeah, you look like you've seen a ghost!" James said.

A bit hesitant, Sofia asked, "Dad, what do you know about the Pumpkin King?"

Roland blinked, quite surprised. "Where did you hear about the Pumpkin King, Sofia?" he asked.

"At school." Sofia told him. "So, who is he?"

The king hesitated, but he decided to tell her anyway. "Well, it's only a legend, Sofia, but, have you ever wondered where holidays come from?"

"Hmm, no. I never really thought about that." Sofia answered.

"Yes, well, legend has it, holidays like Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day, and Halloween have their own worlds. Each lead by a holiday leader, they create holidays for us through much fuss and hard work. But, there was one leader who tried to take over a different holiday after discovering one. It was the Pumpkin King, the ruler of Halloween."

Sofia, James, and Queen Miranda all listened intently. But Amber didn't seem to care.

"The ruler of Halloween...?" Sofia said, shivering.

Roland nodded. "That's right. They say he's the master of fright, the knight of nightmares! They even say he's too scary to behold, making him the perfect face for Halloween! Legend has it, that he failed miserably at trying to re-invent a holiday into a living nightmare and returned to what he was truly good at...bringing fear to all and hailed forever more as the King of Halloween!

Sofia's eyes grew. Just how scary was this Pumpkin King?! Was he a big, ghoulish ghoul? Or a pumpkin creature with an evil, glowing face?

James saw how scared Sofia was, so he said, "Don't worry, Sofia. It's just a story. How about we head over to the pumpkin patch? They're giving out pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies and apple cider!"

"That's a wonderful idea, James." Miranda said. "You can get some pumpkins for the party tonight!"

But Sofia didn't seem so excited anymore.

"Now, Sofia. This is a time to have fun, not be afraid." Miranda said, comforting her daughter. "While it's true that everyone's afraid of something, we have to remember to keep our wits about us and have courage. Especially on Halloween!"

"I guess so..." Sofia said.

* * *

Later in the day, the castle's servants were hustling and bustling, preparing for the Halloween Ball. Baileywick was in charge of everything. "That goes in the banquet hall. We need more pumpkins! The corners need more cobwebs!"

Sofia, James, and Amber were ready for the pumpkin patch. "And don't forget the treats, Bailywick." Amber reminded.

"But of course, milady." Baileywick said with a bow.

The trio hopped in the royal coach and headed off for the pumpkin patch. Amber saw Sofia still looking spooked. "Sofia, don't let daddy's ridiculous story scare you. There's no such thing as a Pumpkin King. It's clearly just a rumor."

Sofia looked up with a little hope. "Are you sure, Amber?"

"Of course, I'm sure." Amber said with her nose in the air. "You're letting a silly ghost story ruin your holiday. And we can't have that now, can we?"

"Yeah, Sofia. It may be Halloween, but we've got nothing to be afraid of." said James.

Sofia smiled for the first time since she woke up this morning, "Yeah, you guys are right."

"Well, of course I'm right." Amber responded.

Princess Sofia giggled. "Now that you mention it, it does sound silly. I mean, a pumpkin king? There's just no way."


	4. Chapter 4

At the pumpkin patch, the farmer checked to make sure his precious pumpkins were in perfect shape for when people arrived. Just then, he thought he saw something move under a huge pumpkin. The farmer tried to lift it, but it was too heavy. So, he managed to roll the pumpkin away and saw a little hole in the ground.

When the man moved in to get a closer look, a hand burst out of the ground.

A skeleton hand.

The frightened farmer screamed and fell backwards. He watched in horror as a thin, inhuman image pulled itself out of the ground. A skeleton man loomed over the farmer with a hideous, cringed face.

It was Jack Skellington himself!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the terrified farmer wailed and ran away in fear of this nightmarish monster.

Jack coughed and rubbed the dirt out of his eye sockets. He blinked a few times. "Huh? That's odd. I thought I heard someone screaming just now."

When Jack looked around, He froze and was completely in awe.

"What is this place?" Jack couldn't believe his eye holes. He was in a wonderful pumpkin patch in a bright and lush-looking forest. Off in the far distance, Jack could see a village and a glorious castle high upon a hill.

If Jack had a heart, it would be fluttering. He hasn't felt this way since he discovered Christmas town. "It's someplace new..."

Entranced and amazed, Jack had the tremendous urge to explore this fantastic new world. The first thing he noted,

"What a splendid pumpkin patch!" Jack chortled. He wandered out of the patch and spotted the farmer's wife watering her flowers, humming a cheerful little tune.

Excited to see an inhabitant of this strange and beautiful land, Jack walked right up to her and smiled. "Excuse me, miss. I'm new here and I need your assistance."

"Well, welcome to the neighborhood, sir." The woman turned to speak, but one look at the skeleton's grinning face caused the woman to scream and run away in terror.

Stunned for a second, then a smile spread across Jack's bony face. "Wow! If the people here are that easy to scare, I'm going to have a great time!"

And so, the Pumpkin King headed off and arrived at the village of Dunwiddie. He took in the picturesque sights. "My, such a darling little town!"

Jack could not keep from smiling. Then he heard the laughter of children. He looked over and spotted Ruby and Jade carving out their jack-o-lanterns. "Ah-ha! Perhaps those young ladies can help me."

Jade giggled as she put the finishing touches on her pumpkin. "Ta-da! What do you think, Ruby?" She put the pumpkin over her face, it was a silly-faced pumpkin.

"I love it, Jade!" said Ruby. "I'm going to make a scary one!" And she went back to carving.

"Say, those are some fine looking jack-o-lanterns!" Jack said from behind them.

"They should be! They're for the big Halloween ball tonight!" Jade said. She and Ruby turned around and let out a collective gasp seeing the Pumpkin King.

Jade pointed at trembling finger at Jack. "Y-You're a-a-a-!" she stuttered.

Jack tried to calm them down. "Now, wait! Please don't be frightened!"

"A SKELETON!" Ruby screamed as the village girls ran inside Jade's house, locking the door.

Depressed that he unintentionally scared two innocent children, Jack sighed. "It's not easy being the master of terror." Poor Jack sulked away from the little cottage. "What am I going to do? I have to get back home and no one is willing to help me! Halloween is coming and Sally must be worried-"

And then it hit him, Jack stopped in his tracks. "Wait a minute...Sally's package! I must have left it back in the pumpkin patch! I have to get it back!"

* * *

Meanwhile, down in Cedric's lair, the royal sorcerer had just finished reading his next dastardly spell.

"Caw! Caw!" Wormwood squawked.

"Simple, my pet. Since I can't get Jack Skellington to get the amulet from Sofia, then I'll just summon a creature just as scary! The items for the ritual are complete!"

In the middle of Cedric's room, there was a huge pentagram painted on the floor. A burlap sack in the shape of a star laid flat in the symbol.

"And now, for the finishing touch." Cedric reached into his robe and pulled out a jar with a harmless looking bug in it. He opened the jar and placed the bug in the center of the sack.

Cedric cleared his throat and recited the spell. And hopefully, it will work this time.

_"To take over this kingdom by storm,_

_May my magic give you form!_

_Bug and bags, and all._

_Oogie Boogie man; the king of bugs, great and small!"_

The Pentagram glowed brightly with magic. The harmless insect became infused with magic as well, then it seemed to twist and bend it's shape, almost as if something was possessing it...

Suddenly, as the transformation was taking place. Dark clouds were cast over the castle and spread through the whole kingdom!

Jack was running through the forests and towards the pumpkin patch when all of a sudden, the sunlight seemed to black out.

"Huh?" Jack looked up and saw the sky being covered dark, spooky clouds. "Hm, unusual weather we're having. Oh, well." He shrugged it off and continued on his quest.

When he arrived, Jack stopped in his tracks. He saw tons of people with pumpkins and eating yummy treats. They all froze and gasped seeing the skeleton.

One person screamed.

And that's all it took to have the whole crowd break into a mass panic.


	5. Chapter 5

The royal siblings arrived at the Pumpkin Patch. Amber and James came out, but Sofia didn't. She looked up at the dark sky.

"You coming, Sof?" James asked.

Sofia kept looking up. "Don't you think it's weird that it got dark all of a sudden?"

"It only got cloudy out, Sofia." said Amber. "That's not even a little problem. Now, let's go get our pumpkins."

Knowing that she was getting worried over nothing, Sofia got out. When they went to the patch, they found it completely in shambles. Pumpkin treats and party debris were scattered everywhere.

"Wow! Looks like everyone had a great time!" James said.

"Yes, but their table manners leave a bit to be desired." Amber said callously. "At least there's plenty of pumpkins for us."

Amber, James and Sofia gathered in the field to get their pumpkins. Sofia saw the perfect pumpkin for her in the middle of the field. Excited, she ran over to get it.

And while Amber and James were on the other side of the patch getting there pumpkins,

"Princess Amber! Prince James!"

The twins looked around and saw a hand waving out of the bushes in the woods.

Confused, but curious, they went over to the bush and saw Ruby and Jade. They had pots on their heads and wore pans as homemade armor and wielded kitchen utensils as weapons.

"Uh, nice costumes?" Amber said uncertainly.

"These aren't costumes!" Jade said. "They're protection! There's a monster in the village!"

"A monster?!" James exclaimed. "What kind of monster?!"

"It was a skeleton man!" Ruby squeaked. "He was tall and creepy and super scary and he almost tried to get us!"

"The whole village is getting ready to hunt him down! We came here to warn you!" Jade said.

"Girls, monsters aren't real and you know it." Amber told them. "And there's certainly no such thing as a skeleton man."

Ruby looked around. "Hey, where's Sofia? Isn't she with you guys?"

"She's over there getting her..." Amber's voice trailed off when she saw that Sofia was nowhere in sight. "Where's Sofia?"

"She's gone!" Jade screamed.

"Maybe the skeleton man got her!" James shouted.

Amber stomped her foot. "I told you there's no-" Amber paused when she heard a strange noise. It actually sounded like...several strange noises. There was a mix of buzzing, hissing, and crawling.

And it was getting louder and closer.

The children heard that the noticed was coming from the forest. When the sound came closer and closer, they realized it was a mob of,

"BUGS!" Amber screamed.

Indeed they were, little bugs and worms crawled past the children's feet as they jumped around, screaming like banshees.

"It's the skeleton man!" Jade wailed. "He must have sent the bugs to attack us!"

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Amber screeched.

The terror-stricken kids ran for their lives back to the village.

Back at the pumpkin patch, Sofia was about to take her pumpkin when she spotted something sticking out of the ground.

"What that?" Sofia went up to what looked like a brown corner sticking out of the ground. Curious as to what it is, she managed to dig it up. "A package?" Sofia said puzzled. "Who could've left this? Amber! James! Look what I-"

Sofia looked over, but her siblings were gone. "...found?"

The wide-eyed girl had been rendered scared still. Sofia was all alone in the dark, creepy pumpkin patch. All alone.

"Amber?" Sofia squeaked. "James? Anyone?!" The princess decided it might be a good time to start running. But before she could, a gentleman's voice called to her.

"Excuse me, young lady."

Sofia jumped and looked around her. But no one was around.

"Over here."

Sofia heard the voice was coming from behind a nearby tree. She walked over to it. "W-Who's there?"

"I am." the voice said, still behind the tree. "You have my package. I would like to have it back please."

"Why are you hiding behind that tree?" Sofia asked. "You frightened me!"

"But I'm doing this so you wouldn't be frightened." said the voice.

But Sofia wasn't convinced, something was up. She turned away from the tree. "If you want this back, then come out." she stated.

Sofia heard a sigh of defeat. "If you insist."

"Now, just what do you mean by not wanting to scare me?" Sofia asked. She turned around and gasped. She lifted her head all the way up to see Jack's skull looking down at her.

And Jack knew what was coming next.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Sofia screamed and ran for her life, carelessly dropping the package. "Help! A skeleton! HELP!" Sofia yelled. She tripped over a vine and fell. Sofia heard footsteps and her passive, fearful expression grew as the ghoulish skeleton walked towards her.

Sofia screamed again and curled into a tight, shivering ball. She waited in fear for the monster to grab her.

A few seconds later, nothing happened.

And suddenly, Sofia felt a tickle on her ears. She yelped, then she felt tickling on her sides and she started to giggle. She unfurled herself and when she looked back, she saw the skeleton down on one knee and offered his hand to Sofia. He wore a kind, gentle smile. "Are you alright?" he asked sweetly.

"I...think so." Sofia said, staring at Jack intently. Now getting a better look at him, this skeleton didn't look so scary, not with that warm smile. She took his hand and he helped her up.

"I'm terribly sorry for scaring you." Jack said.

Sensing his words were honest, Sofia decided this creature meant her no harm. "And I'm sorry for screaming like that." she said sheepishly. Though usually a brave girl, Sofia couldn't help herself when frightened by the skeleton man. It's as if he had a natural ability to scare people.

"Oh, don't be." Jack replied. "That was quite a shriek. One of the best I've heard all day!"

"Uh, thank you?" Sofia said, unsure. "Who are you?"

"Oh, yes! Forgive my late introduction. I'm Jack Skellington." he introduced.

"Skeleton?" Sofia repeated.

"No, Skellington." Jack corrected. "I'm from Halloween Town, where I'm known as the Pumpkin King!"

Sofia gasped. "You're the Pumpkin King?!"

"Indeed!" Jack said proudly. "I'm the king of nightmares and the master of terror!" He made a scary face in front of Sofia, making her flinch.

Jack pulled away. "Forgive me, I'm in a festive mood. You see, I was planning the events for this year's Halloween then all of a sudden, I found myself in this pumpkin patch!" He stared at her for a moment. "Uh, and you are?"

"I'm Sofia, your majesty." she said with a curtsey.

Jack let out a hearty chuckle. "No need to be so formal, you can call me Jack." he said. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Sofia. That's a lovely costume you have on!" Jack complimented on her gown.

"Huh? Oh, thank you, Jack. But this isn't a costume. I'm a real princess." said Sofia.

Jack's empty eyes grew wide. "You are?! My! Such an honor it is, dear princess." he said and politely bowed before her.

Sofia let out a giggle. Turns out the king of Halloween was actually really nice!

"So, where exactly am I, Sofia?" Jack asked.

"This is the kingdom of Enchancia." Sofia answered. "We're going to have a Halloween party at our castle. Would you like to come?"

"Why, thank you for your kind offer. But I can't stay here for much longer." said Jack. "I need you to help me return home! Halloween is coming and it needs me!"

"Hmm...I know! We'll ask Mr. Cedric, our royal sorcerer! He'll help you!" Sofia took Jack's hand they headed for the carriage. "We need to get to the castle please!" Sofia told the carriage driver.

The driver was about to drive until he saw Jack. He gasped then fainted in shock.

Jack face palmed. "Oh, not again!"

"I know! I'll have my friends Ruby and Jade get us back home! Let's go!"


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, the thousands of bugs crawled through the cracks and windows of Enchancia's castle and gathered in Cedric's room. Inside the sorcerer's lair, a huge, rotund burlap sack filled with those very same bugs was standing upright on two stumpy legs. His featureless black eyes holes blinked in satisfaction.

The living sack monster chuckled in a dark manner. "I feel like a million bugs! I really owe you one for this, Cedric."

"Indeed you do, Mr. Oogie." Cedric said. "With our combined skills, we shall be unstoppable in taking Sofia's amulet and ruling over the kingdom!" He took out his wand and waved it around. "Now, here's the plan: At the party, I'll distract the children with my magic show and you'll have your bugs-"

"I have a better idea." Just then, Oogie's snake tongue lashed out and snatched Cedrick's wand right out of his hand!

"MY WAND!" Cedric screamed.

Oogie laughed as he waved the wand at Cedric and the sorcerer was locked up in a cage. "Say! This thing works pretty good!"

Cedric gripped on the metal bars and shook them. "Let me out this instant!" he ordered. "That's my wand, you insolent bag of bugs!"

"I don't see your name on it!" Oogie said to Cedric, chuckling. "Now, let's give this bad boy a test run!" Oogie pointed the wand up towards the sky and fired it straight at Cedric, turning his hair into snakes. Cedric screamed in horror before Oogie changed his hair back to normal.

"This is a nightmare come true!" Oogie howled. "With this wand, I'll make this my own town with me as it's ruler! Bug Day will be a holiday again!"

Watching this obese sack of bugs commit such evil and not Cedric, Wormwood became angered and charged straight at Oogie. But Oogie shot a blast of magic at the raven and shot him straight out the window.

"WORMY!" Cedric shouted.

"Bye, bye, birdie!" Oogie laughed at the bird's pathetic rescue. "Moving on, the first thing I'm going to do is get some reinforcement so my reign can start!"

* * *

At the village of Dunwiddie, Sofia and Jack arrived at last. "Don't worry, Jack. Once we get to the castle, Cedric will get you home in no time!"

But before they could get anywhere, the villagers immediately took notice to Jack's presence.

"There it is!" a voice said loudly, pointing at Jack.

"It's the monster!" another voice shouted.

"He's tall as a tree!" someone said in a booming whisper.

"A walking skeleton?!" someone shrieked.

"He has Princess Sofia!" screamed a woman's voice

Before they knew it, Jack and Sofia were surrounded by the villagers. Although they were afraid, they began to close in on them. They stared at their princess in complete shock seeing her with a living skeleton.

Amber was the first to emerge from the crowd along with James, Ruby and Jade. "Alright, you monster! As princess of Enchancia and Sofia's sister, I order you to release her at once!" Amber commanded.

"Amber! Jack is not a monster!" Sofia said. "He's friendly!"

"I understand your cause for panic, people." Jack said. "But I assure you I mean you no harm!"

"Oh, yeah? Then what about all those gross bugs that were crawling towards our castle?!" James said.

"Bugs? What are you talking about?" Sofia asked.

"There's no point defending him, Sofia!" Jade said, armed with her wooden spoon.

"We know what we saw!" Ruby said.

Jack decided to have his say, but paused when he saw the people gasp together and back away. Sofia turned around and let out a yelp. "Jack! Behind you!"

The Pumpkin king looked over his shoulder and saw a creature with a slim green body with brown roots on it with a Jack-O-Lantern head with green fire lighting inside it. The monster's burning eyes glared at Jack.

"Oh!" said Jack, surprised to see this new spook. "I don't believe we've met, I'm Jack, Jack Skel-"

The pumpkin-headed fiend shot out a mouthful of fire at Jack. The skeleton swiftly dodged it in time. The demented squash then set its sights on Sofia.

Jack growled. He wasn't going to take that. He flicked his wrist and a long slimy green tentacle shot out of his sleeve and whipped the monster, gabbing it and slamming into the ground, smashing its head to pieces.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" James exclaimed.

"How did you do that?!" Sofia nearly shouted.

"It's because of this." Jack showed Sofia his wrist. On it was a living green slime wrapped around his arm like a gauntlet. "It's the Soul Robber. I use it for protection, it's really quite handy."

Sofia reached to touch it, but she jumped back when it twitched. "Ew! It's moving!"

"I know! Isn't it marvelous?" Jack said. "I always keep it on hand, just in case."

"Cool! Where can I get one of those?!" James asked, his eyes full of wonder.

"Who cares about that?!" Amber hollered. "A creepy pumpkin-headed monster tried to attack Sofia! We have to get out here! There could be more of those things!"

"Everyone! Please listen to me!" Jack announced. "Take shelter in your homes! Shut the windows and lock the doors! Barricade yourselves as much as you can! I will get to the bottom of this and stop whoever's behind this attack!" He then ran off.

"Wait, Jack!" Sofia called as she ran after the Pumpkin King. "I'm going with you!"

Jack stopped running. "Sofia, you can't come with me! It's too dangerous!"

"But I want to help you! If there's something bad going on at the castle, my family could be in trouble! Please! Let me help you, Jack!" Sofia pleaded with all her heart.

Jack was surprised by Sofia's confidence. He nodded in understanding. "Very well. Let's go!"

"Not so fast!" Amber shouted. Jack and Sofia halted.

Amber stood in a defiant stance at the duo. "You're not getting there by foot! Jade! Get your donkey! These two need a lift!"

"You got it, Amber!" Jade said before taking off.

Amber went up to Sofia and hugged her. "Be careful, Sofia."

Sofia smiled. "I will, Amber."


	7. Chapter 7

Jack and Sofia raced off in the wagon towards the castle. Jack was driving the rickety carriage being pulled by Jade's donkey, Coco. The pack mule was running as fast as it's legs could physically move. But it was difficult and it eventually collapsed from exhaustion. They were still far from the castle.

"Looks like we'll have to run from here!" Jack said, getting out of the cart.

"Princess Sofia!" a voice called from the sky.

Sofia looked up and saw Cedric's raven Wormwood flying down to her.

"Wormwood! What are you doing here?" Sofia asked.

"Castle! Bag of bugs! Alive! Big trouble!" Wormwood said through his panting.

Jack blinked. "Sofia? Are you talking to that bird?" he inquired.

"Yes, my amulet helps me talk to animals." Sofia answered. "So, what's going on, Wormwood?"

The raven finally caught his breath. "A living bag of bugs named Oogie Boogie stole Cedric's wand and is using it to take over the kingdom! He's got Cedric locked up and everything!"

"Who's Oogie Boogie?" Sofia questioned. "That's a weird name."

"Oogie Boogie?! Here?!" Jack uncharacteristically shouted, startling Sofia and Wormwood. "That explains everything!"

"Wait a minute, you know him?!" Sofia asked.

"I certainly do! Oogie Boogie is a no-account, evil Boogie man from the same world as me. But unlike myself and the other citizens of Halloween Town, Oogie takes pleasure in hurting people instead of scaring them!" Jack explained. "I destroyed him a long time ago and now's he's back! It all makes sense now! Oogie came to life and brought me here to this world to keep me from creating Halloween!"

Jack became very angry. All his hard work in making the scariest, most horrible Halloween was being ruined by his greatest enemy. His fury appeared on his already scary face. Sofia whimpered, frightened by Jack's anger. Wormwood hid behind Sofia in fear.

But Jack, being the dapper gentleman he is, kept his cool. "Sofia, we must go to the castle and stop Oogie once and for all!"

"Oh my gosh!" Sofia squealed. "I forgot that my schoolmates are coming to our castle for the Halloween Ball! So my family _and_ my friends are in trouble!

"Then there's no time to lose!" said Jack. "I'll get us back on the road! Hop in." he ordered. Sofia did as she was told and got inside with Wormwood perched on her shoulder.

Jack hopped on Coco's back and tapped the back of the mule's neck. When the donkey turned around, Jack put two fingers in his mouth, stretched it out and made one of his scariest faces at the donkey, uncorking a hideous shriek.

The donkey screamed and the hair on it's mane stood on end. The mule took off like a bullet running towards the castle.

"HANG ON, EVERYONE!" Jack shouted over the high winds as he rode on Coco bare-backed.

"WHOOOOOOOOA!" Sofia and Wormwood wailed, holding on for dear life.

* * *

At the castle of Enchancia, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather arrived along with the students of Royal Prep. When they came to the doors, they slowly creaked open, beckoning them to enter.

"How spooky!" Fauna said with such giddy.

The headmistresses and students arrived in the ballroom. It was dark, they can't even see an inch in front of their faces.

"Wow, Sofia must have something big planned!" Princess Hildegard whispered to Princess Clio.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" a mocking laughter echoed through the darkness.

Everyone screamed and huddled into a tight group. Green, fiery faces glowed in the darkness. An army of Jack-o-lantern monsters stepped out of the shadows, surrounding the terrified children. The room was lit and everyone saw that the ballroom was no longer a ballroom, but it was transformed into a giant roulette wheel!

"What is the meaning of this?!" Flora demanded.

A shot of magic was fired at the three fairy sisters and they were trapped in a cage. Flora tried to use her magic, but it didn't work! All three sisters tried to use their magic together, but that cage did not give!

From the top of the stairs, Oogie Boogie looked down at his trapped victims. "Well, well, well, what have we hear? Trick-or-treaters, huh? Oooh, I'm really scared!" The Boogie man slid down the railing and landed before the terrified party-goers. "Welcome to the Oogie Casino Kingdom!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Oogie turned and came face to face with Jack's skull. Oogie yelped in fear and backed away. "J-Jack?!" His shock was soon replaced with anger. "What are you doing here, you bonehead?!"

"I should be asking you the same thing, Oogie!" Jack snapped.

The trapped fairies and children gasped together seeing the king of Halloween himself. "Flora! It's him!" Fauna whispered.

Oogie waved Cedric's wand and a giant podium raised him high up. "Going up!" Oogie drawled. "Get him, boys!"

Oogie's pumpkin monsters charged. But Jack on ready for them. He unleashed his Soul Robber and the battle begun.

* * *

With the skeleton and boogie man battling, Sofia and Wormwood headed to Cedric's workshop, but it was guarded by two pumpkin-headed ghouls.

"Oh, no. How are we going to get past them?" Sofia whispered to Wormwood.

"We just need a distraction." Wormwood said.

"Leave that to us!"

Sofia and Wormwood looked over and saw Clover along with Mia, Robin and Whatnaught. Clover glanced over to Wormwood and the raven glanced back. "Now, listen, Wormy." Clover started. "I know we don't really see eye to eye, but-"

"Don't bother explaining, Veggie breath." Wormwood sneered. "We'll have to bury the hatchet for now."

"CHARGE!" Mia chirped. She, Robin and Wormwood attacked the gourd guards. They pecked and pecked at their heads, the monsters growled and tried to shoo away the birds. Clover and Whatnaught rushed in and attacked the other guard by chomping and nibbling on their feet.

Sofia saw her chance and grabbed the key from Cedric's hiding spot. She unlocked the door and saw Cedric, King Roland and Queen Miranda locked in a cage.

"Sofia!" Miranda cried. "You're alright!"

"How did you get in here?!" Roland questioned.

"There's no time for that!" Cedric shouted. "Sofia! In my drawer is my family's wand! Get it, quickly!"

"Gotcha!" Sofia ran over to Cedric's drawer and took out the family wand. It was a wand far more powerful than his original wand. The princess handed Cedric his wand ad the sorcerer zapped the cage and it disappeared.

By now, the pumpkin creatures shook the animals off and entered into the workshop. The were about to breath out fire at the humans until Cedric stepped in. _"Returnus, Vegitatious!"_ he flicked his wand at the squash and turned them into harmless pumpkins.

"Well done, Cedric!" Miranda congratulated. "Now to stop that, that, whatever that thing is!"

Sofia, her parents, and Cedric hurried over to the ballroom. When they opened the doors, they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

The floor was covered with splattered pumpkin and dead plant roots. Standing in the middle of the mess was Jack. "Your army is finished, Oogie! It's time to give up!"

Roland, Miranda, and even Cedric gasped at the sight of the living skeleton.

"J-Jack Skellington?!" Cedric stammered. "The Pumpkin King is actually here?!"

"The Pumpkin King?!" Roland exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. "He-He's real?!"

Sofia grinned. "He sure is, Dad."

Oogie was at his boiling point. "Why you..." he growled. He fired his wand again and the pumpkin innards and dead roots were picked up and turned back into pumpkin monsters again!

"Face it, Jack! You can't beat me! I win this time!" Oogie said to Jack, laughing. "Just who do you think you are?!" The monsters ran in for the attack.

"JACK!" Sofia screamed.

But Jack remained cool as a cucumber, and he was going to let them have it. He spun the Soul Robber a few good times and lashed it out on a pumpkin monster, grabbing it. Then Jack began to spin around, lifting up the beast and using him to smash the other monsters.

"I AM THE PUMPKIN KING! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Jack yelled for all to hear. Within seconds, Oogie's squash were squashed and he flung the final monster straight at Oogie and knocked him down off his grand perch and crashed painfully down to the floor, making him drop the wand.

Jack then snatched the wand with his Soul Robber. "You've had your fun, Oogie." Jack said, approaching his fallen rival. "But now it's time to end this now!"

"Wait, Mr. Skellington!"

Jack turned and saw Cedric. "Allow me." Cedric, with his shoulders back and wand at the ready, cast a big spell. _"Creepy creep and creepy crawl! Become undone! Once and for all!"_

Cedric fired Oogie with a mighty blast of magic. The sack of bugs screamed as he floated in the air. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Oogie's body began to glow brightly and then disappeared, all that was left was his brain, a mere earwig. It's tiny voice wailed in agony and defeat as it tried to crawl away. But Jack promptly stepped on the insect, destroying Oogie once again.

"We did it! The kingdom is saved!" Sofia cheered.

"But I believe there's one more spell to cast." Jack said "Mr. Sorcerer, if you please."

Cedric understood. "Indeed." He cast another spell, this time with his family's wand. He raised it up high and shot down magic to the ground, magic filling up the castle and throughout the castle. And soon enough, the ballroom was returned to normal and the headmistresses were free. The rest of the pumpkin monsters down in the village became normal pumpkins again.

Now that the madness was all over, everyone else in the room stared at Jack. The children seemed pretty scared until Flora and her sisters approached the skeleton man. "We owe you an apology, Jack Skellington. We were wrong about you all along." Flora said. "We were told that you were the evil one. But it wasn't right of us to judge you before we really saw who you were."

Jack waved his hand. "No need to apologize, ma'am. It's just something I have to expect given my frightening visage."

"But thanks to you, the kingdom is saved!" Sofia said.

"Thank you, but I really can't take all the credit." Jack told them. "After all, Mr. Cedric was the one who really gave Oogie the boot!"

"You're right." said King Roland. "Excellent job, Cedric."

"Oh! Well, thank you very much, your majesty!" Cedric said, flushed with success. He was never used to getting compliments of gratitude, especially from the king.

Sofia noticed that Jack was looking a bit depressed. "What's wrong, Jack?"

Jack sighed. "Well, Sofia, Halloween is here, but I'm afraid it might be too late. Halloween will have to canceled this year." he slumped, depressed.

"What?! No way, Jack!" Sofia exclaimed. "There's still time to celebrate!"

"Princess Sofia is right!" Flora said. "We'll help you out, Jack!"

Jack's face beamed with joy. "Thank you, everyone!" He gasped when a light bulb went off in his head. "That's it! I know what we'll do for Halloween!"

Jack told everyone his big idea, when he was finished, they all seemed quite pleased.

"That's a great idea, Jack!" Sofia said.

"That reminds me! Sofia, do you still have my package?" asked Jack.

"Yep! It's right here!" Sofia took the package out of her backpack. Jack took the package and quickly opened it. When he saw what was inside, his eye sockets grew wide. "Why, this is perfect! Alright, everybody! Grab your tricks and treats and let's go!"


	8. Chapter 8

At Halloween Town, the entire realm was in a manic uproar. The mayor and the citizens searched every inch of the town, graveyard, pumpkin patch, lake, catacombs, and even going to the other holiday worlds to look for Jack!

But their beloved Pumpkin King was nowhere to be found.

All the monsters and ghosts gathered in the town square, sprawled on the ground as they were exhausted from their search.

"Oh, it's hopeless!" the mayor wailed. "Jack is gone! Halloween will have to cancelled this year!"

The townsfolk were heartbroken. They were so looking forward to scaring the world. But without their leader, there just can't be no Halloween.

"HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!"

The people shot up like a bolt of lightening brought them to life. Sally's wide eyes grew wider and a huge smile spread on her fabric face. She knew the sound of that voice.

Just then, music began to play from outside the gate. An all too familiar tune played, the citizens of Halloween knew it all too well. But they had mixed expressions of amaze, shock and a little fear when a parade of humans in Halloween costumes marched towards the town. The music was being played by a small band of children led by Princess Vivian playing her mandolin and they began to sing.

_"Boys and girls of every age  
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?  
Come with us and you will see  
This our town of Halloween!_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween_

_Pumpkins scream in the dead of night  
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene  
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright  
It's our town, everybody scream!_

_In this town of Halloween!"_

The humans were singing their Halloween anthem so well, it was so much more catchy than how the monsters sing it. Once they caught to the snappy beat, they immediately joined in and sang along!

_"I am the one hiding under your bed.  
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red!"_

_"I am the one hiding under yours stairs  
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair!"_

_"This is Halloween, this is Halloween!_

_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!"_

"Man, this is sooo cool!" James said.

"These monsters a kind of fun!" Amber said, watching the spectacle through her binoculars.

_"In this town we call home  
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song._

_In this town, don't we love it now  
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!_

_Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can  
Something's waiting no to pounce, and how you'll scream!_

_This is Halloween!_

_Red 'n' black, and slimy green!_

_Aren't you scared?!_

_Well, that's just fine!  
Say it once, say it twice.  
Take a chance and roll the dice.  
Ride with the moon in the dead of night_

_Everybody scream, everybody scream!_

_In our town of Halloween_

_"I am the clown with the tear-away face.  
Here in a flash and gone without a trace!"_

_"I am the who when you call, Who's there?  
I am the wind blowing through your hair!"_

_"I am the shadow on the moon at night.  
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright!"_

The whole town was filling with the Halloween spirit. Humans and monsters singing the night away.

_"This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

_Halloween! Halloween!_

_Tender lumplings everywhere  
Life's no fun without a good scare_

_That's our job, but we're not mean  
In our town of Halloween_

_In this town, don't we love it now.  
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!_

_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back  
And scream like a banshee.  
Make you jump out of your skin!"_

Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over the town. The startled human guests gasped together and looked up. Perched perfectly atop the city hall was a dark figure's silhouette with a big boney grin. But the monsters knew this part, their king had arrived so they continued singing.

_"This is Halloween, everybody scream!_

_Wont' ya please make way for a very special guy!_

_Our man jack is King of the Pumpkin patch  
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King, now!"_

It was indeed Jack. Only he was wearing a long, black cape with a high collar. He stretched his arms out and the macabre cape blew in the autumn breeze. Cedric waved his wand and then a flock of ghosts, glowing bats and jack-o-lanterns rose behind Jack and swooped down upon Halloween town. The ghosts booed and moaned while the bats squeaked and shrieked. Every human, even Sofia, screamed as the aerial attack flew above their heads.

_"This is Halloween, this is Halloween  
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

_In this town we call home,  
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song!"_

Jack jumped down from the rooftop and landed gracefully before his people with the perfect pose. The ghosts and bats and pumpkins flew back to Jack and swirled around him like a tornado. Then they flew up in an upwards spiral and with a snap of Jack's fingers, they disappeared in a great big fireworks display of oranges, purples, green, and golds.

Jack smiled to his peers. He was happy to see their happy, frightful faces as they cheered and applauded for such a marvelous performance.

"This year's Halloween was the most horrible yet!" Jack shouted to the Halloween world. "THANK YOU, EVERYONE!"

The land of Halloween shook when cheers and howls erupted from the town. Monsters jumped for joy with the humans. But one monster wasn't jumping, for she was running straight for the Pumpkin king.

"SALLY!" Jack exclaimed with open arms.

"JACK!" Sally cried as she jumped into her lover's arms. "You're finally back!"

Jack spun his woman in sheer happiness. "Yes, I am, Sally. And I've had quite an adventure! Thank you for this splendid cape! I love it!"

"I'm glad I was able to help, Jack." said Sally.

The mayor hurried over to Jack. "Bravo, Jack! Simply spooktacular! Another magnificent Halloween, Jack! You've outdone yourself above and beyond the grave!"

"Thank you, Mayor." Jack walked over to Sofia. "But I couldn't have done it without this special little girl, Princess Sofia."

Sally approached the young princess. "So you're Sofia? Thank you for all this."

"Sofia, this is my wife Sally." Jack introduced.

Sofia smiled and curtseyed. "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss. Sally."

"Arf! Arf!" a soft little bark was heard. Jack's face lit up when he saw a little ghost dog with a glowing jack-o-lantern nose floating his way.

"Zero!" Jack called out.

The little ghost dog soared literally right through the crowd and tackled Jack, gracing his master's skull with licks. "Hahahahaha! Zero! Down, boy!" Jack laughed as the dog kept licking his best friend. "I missed you too, Easy, boy! Ahahahahahaha!"

Jade and Ruby cooed over the ghostly dog. "Aw, aren't you adorable!" Ruby giggled, petting the friendly pooch.

"This calls for a celebration!" Jack announced, to which the crowd agreed wholeheartedly.

"Alright! Take it away, Vivian!" Sofia said.

Vivian took out her mandolin and played away along with the school. The music was a catchy tune that the Halloween Town ghouls have never heard before. And they were loving it!

_"Tonight we're really going to jump and shout,  
'Cause this is what Halloween is all about.  
What kind of party are you most into?  
What kind of fable's always after you?"_

"May I have this dance, Sofia?" Jack offered to the princess.

"You may." Sofia said and once they waltz together, the whole town danced and swayed to the music.

_"Don't turn around, 'cause it might be true.  
Who's that creeping up behind you?  
Who's that calling to remind you?  
Who's that?  
No need to remind you!  
Who's that?  
Who's that?_

_Who-Is-That?"_

"Happy Halloween, Jack." Sofia said. "Thank you for saving my friends and family."

"I should be thanking you, Sofia." Jack replied. "Your world has truly inspired me. And after this successful evening, Halloween will get better every year!"

As Jack and Sofia danced the night away, they both knew very well that this was the happiest Halloween ever.

* * *

**Thanks for voting on my poll, my friends! I'm glad this story was the winner and I had a blast writing it! Happy Halloween and don't forget to floss! :D**


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